RIYADH: º£½ÇÖ±²¥ led startup funding across the Middle East and North Africa in April 2025, attracting $158.5 million across eight deals — accounting for more than two-thirds of the region’s total investment for the month.Â
The Kingdom’s dominant performance was largely driven by iMENA Group’s $135 million pre-initial public offering round, placing it ahead of the UAE, which followed with $62 million raised across nine startups.Â
In total, MENA startups secured $228.4 million in April through 26 deals, marking a 105 percent increase from March and nearly triple the amount raised in April 2024, according to Wamda’s monthly report. Â
Notably, the month’s funding activity featured no debt financing.
“Interestingly, the absence of debt-financed deals in April highlights growing investor confidence in equity-based funding — a trend reflecting a healthier capital environment,†the report stated. Â
Morocco ranked third regionally, raising $4 million across two startups, while Egypt lagged behind with just $1.5 million secured by four companies.Â
Early-stage ventures led in deal volume, bringing in $49 million through 20 transactions. Late-stage activity was concentrated entirely in iMENA’s pre-IPO round.Â
By sector, fintech remained the top draw for investors, attracting $44 million across seven transactions. Traveltech also gained momentum, driven by HRA Experience’s deal, while e-commerce startups raised $2.5 million across three deals.Â
Software-as-a-service ventures made a comeback after a quiet first quarter, securing $1.8 million from three transactions. Â
In terms of business models, business-to-business startups dominated, raising $180 million across 12 deals. Â
Business-to-consumer ventures followed with $43 million from seven transactions, while six companies operating both B2B and B2C models accounted for the rest of the disclosed funding.Â
Gender disparities in startup funding persisted in April. Female-led startups secured less than $500,000 in total, while male-founded ventures captured 97 percent of all disclosed capital. Startups co-founded by men and women raised an additional $6.5 million.Â